


Head Over Feet

by corvidaezero



Category: Carmilla (Web Series), Carmilla - All Media Types
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-26 20:50:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17148884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/corvidaezero/pseuds/corvidaezero
Summary: My Secret Santa gift to avoidtheredhoodie.  I hope you like it!  Carmilla and Laura spend Christmas in a wintery cabin."Don't be surprised if I love you for all that you are.  I couldn't help it.  It's all your fault."





	Head Over Feet

**Author's Note:**

> The line from the book Carmilla reads is from "The Art of Us" by KL Hughes. It's my favorite book, too, Laura.

Three Days Before Christmas

 

“We’re here, Laura.”

 

Laura’s grip tightened around Carmilla’s waist for a brief second before letting go and swinging her leg off of the snowmobile.  She pulled her goggles off her face on onto her head, and took her first real look at the cabin. Sharp angles shaped it to prevent the snow from building up, and a large window in the middle of the front wall between the A would give them a fantastic view of the clearing they were currently standing in, and of the mountains in the distance.  Two chimney stacks stood, one in the front left corner, and the other in the back right corner of the cabin.

 

“It’s beautiful, Carm,” Laura said.

 

“Thanks.  This is the first time I’ve been here in nearly two decades.  Well, except for the other day to bring our supplies up here, but that doesn’t count.”

 

Laura grinned, “It sort of counts.”

 

Carmilla lifted a shoulder and dropped it, “Well, at least the company is better.”

 

Laura rolled her eyes with a smile.  “Come on; I want to see the inside!”

 

Laura ran up the three stairs and onto the small porch covered by the roof.  She couldn’t wait to sit out and stare at the stars. Their trip was going to be for 3 nights, so hopefully she would get in plenty of stargazing.

 

Laura entered the cabin with Carmilla right behind her.  The inside was small but cozy. Wooden walls and a wooden floor had a sort of charm Laura couldn’t quite put her finger on.  There was a large couch and a loveseat with a table in front of a large, stone fireplace, with a very fancy looking rug, Laura decided.  There was a small kitchen, if you could call it that. It was mostly just a wood-burning stove and a few cabinets--most of their food was outside in a refrigerator Carmilla had stocked earlier that week.  There was a small hallway that lead down to the bathroom on the left and the bedroom on the right

 

“Any chance we could light this up?” Laura asked, walking over to the fireplace.  “Forty-five minutes driving in snow is not exactly my cup of cocoa.”

 

Carmilla leaned against the wall.  “Am I not hot enough for you?” she teased.

 

“Oh, don’t worry.  I’m going to seduce you as soon as it warms up.”  Laura said, rubbing her hands together.

 

“Are you, now,” Carmilla replied, her voice lower.  She stepped into Laura and put her hands on her hips.  Carmilla leaned close. She brushed her nose against Laura’s cheek, and she felt Laura’s hips move to her in response.

 

“Please get the fire started.  I do not want to have sex if my nipples freeze off.”

 

“I could make it worth your while.” Carmilla barely brushed her lips over Laura’s neck.

 

“I swear to the gods, Carm, if you don’t start that fire now…”

 

Carmilla laughed and stepped away.  “Don’t worry, creampuff. I’ll go grab the fire logs.”

 

“Thank you.  It was going to be very hard to seduce you with these puffy jackets on,” Laura said, wide-eyed.

 

“Who was seducing who?”

 

“Go get the fire logs!”

 

Carmilla smiled and went back outside to the porch, where she had a large stack of firewood ready for the next few days.  She grabbed three and brought them back in.

 

“Would you mind lighting these, Laura,” Carmilla said, putting the logs down in the fireplace.  “ I’m going to go ahead and bring some into the fireplace for the bedroom.”

 

“There are two fireplaces?”

 

“Of course.  There’s not really any electricity.  The solar panels are really only good for a few lights, but they aren’t powerful enough for heating.  This one is good for the livingroom, but we’ll definitely want one for the bedroom, too.”

 

Laura smirked, “I thought you were going to be hot enough for me?”

 

Carmilla smiled with tenderness, and leaned in to kiss her.  “I love you, Laura.”

 

Laura cupped Carmilla’s cheek when she pulled back.  “I love you, Carmilla. Thank you for taking me here.”

 

\---

 

Laura curled into Carmilla on the couch, the fire roaring.  Each of them had changed into their pajamas, Carmilla’s with little adorable bats and Laura’s with cookies and milk.

 

“Will you read to me?”

 

“You want me to read to you?”  Carmilla asked, softly.

“Yes please.”

 

Carmilla reached for her tablet on the table and opened it up.  With a light rumble in her chest that Laura still swore reminded her of a cat, she began.  “Charlee Parker blinks slowly awake, chest aching and head pounding.”

 

“I love this one,” Laura hummed, curling into Carmilla again.

 

“I know,” Carmilla said, before continuing.

 

\---

 

Laura had fallen asleep 20 minutes ago, and when she had, Carmilla went to the bedroom to start the fire in there so it would be warm by the time they crawled into bed.  She put out the fire in the livingroom, then went to Laura, still asleep on the couch.

 

“Come on, creampuff.  Let’s get to bed.” Carmilla whispered, mostly to herself.  She bent down and picked Laura up bridal style and carried her down the hallway and into the warm bedroom.

 

“Hmm?  I fell asleep?”  Laura said when Carmilla placed her on the mattress.  The bedroom was fairly bare, with only the fireplace, the bed--which had amazing sheets as Carmilla would defend, and a small bookshelf full of stories Carmilla had read countless times.

 

“You did.  But we’ll have all day tomorrow and the next to--”

 

“But I was gonna seduce you!” Laura said, yawning.

 

Carmilla chuckled.  “Get some rest, Laura, then we can do all the seducing we want.”

 

“No, I said I was gonna seduce you.  Now come here. I may be half asleep, but go ahead and do whatever you want.  You can even do butt stuff. I like you  _ that much _ .”

 

Carmilla laughed.  “As, uh, enticing as that is, I’d rather wait until tomorrow.”

 

Laura opened one eye, “You sure you want to miss out on all this?”  She waved a hand over her cookie pajama-clad body.

 

Carmilla leaned in and kissed Laura on the forehead before going around to the other side of the bed and sliding in beside her.  Laura pulled the blankets up and Carmilla scooted close to spoon her. She wrapped her arm around Laura’s waist and gave a tiny squeeze before succumbing to sleep herself.

 

\---

“Come on, Carm, it’ll be fun!”

 

“I don’t know why I listen to you.”

 

They stood in the livingroom next to a Christmas tree.  It was a fake, as Laura was allergic to real ones. Plus, it was just much easier to pack a fake in a box and unfold it back up than it would be to try to do that to a real tree.  Laura was dressed in red and white striped stockings and a green tunic, with a green pointed hat and fake elf ears. Carmilla was dressed as Santa Claus.

 

“If you take this picture with me, I promise to only show our closest friends.”

 

“Those are the people I most want to  _ not _ see it.”

 

“Come on, or I’ll make you wear a Grinch costume, instead.”

 

“Do you have one?”

 

“...no… but don’t underestimate my arts and crafts prowess!”

 

Carmilla laughed.  “Okay, okay, you win.  Come on.”

 

“Say ‘Christmas cheer!’”

 

Laura took the photo, and despite her teasing protestations, with Laura’s cheek pressed against hers, Carmilla was indeed smiling.

 

\---

 

The Christmas tree was nearly half decorated.  It was fairly simple, with candy canes and some red and green tinsel.  Laura had just finished the final go-around with the green tinsel and the final verse of “O’ Holy Night”.

 

“Can you sing that one again?”  Carmilla’s voice was quiet, almost whispered.

 

“You want me to sing the same song again?”  Laura looked at Carmilla with her eyebrow up.

 

“I like that song.”

 

“I didn’t know that...” Laura said.  “How come?”

 

Carmilla was silent for a moment.  “The song is about hope. I mean, yes, it’s ultimately about the birth of Jesus.  But whether he is real or not, the song still has so much hope. ‘Fall on your knees and hear the angels’ voices.  The weary world rejoices, for yonder breaks a new glorious morn.’”

 

“Carm…”  Laura moved to her and took her hand, lacing their fingers together.

 

“I don’t… Three centuries is a long time to be alone, Laura, and to think yourself a monster.  Especially during the holidays. Sometimes, I would go sit in on the Christmas Eve services and hear the choir sing.  When I first turned into a vampire, I would sit in the rafters of churches and listen. I wanted to hear that it would be okay, even when so much of me didn’t want to believe it.”

 

Laura didn’t say anything, instead deciding to hold the girl confessing, hoping it would convey what she felt.  Laura wound her arms around Carmilla’s back, and she felt Carmilla loosen.

 

“After Mother buried me, I… After I awoke on the battefield, I decided to stop being ashamed of what I was.  I was going to stop haunting myself. I was going to turn against Mother and defeat her. I didn’t need the rafters anymore.  But, still… this song still means so much to me. This song is so much more than most other Christmas songs.”

 

“Do you still feel like you aren’t enough?”

 

“No.  Not anymore, Laura.”  Carmilla looked into Laura’s eyes, and so much meaning passed between them.

 

“You want me to sing it again?”

 

“If… you don’t mind.”

 

Laura shared a small smile, “Even if my singing isn’t as good as a church choir?”

 

“Your singing could fill my heart a thousand fold and still spill over,” Carmilla said.  “I love it when you sing to me.”

 

“From the top, it is.”

 

\---

 

“I’m telling you, you’re wrong,” Carmilla said.  She held a wooden spoon as Laura licked off the peanut sauce.

 

“Your Pad Thai would be so much better with a little more garlic in it, though!”

 

“No, you’re wrong.  You’re wrong like the time you were wrong about being able to tell Tegan and Sara apart.”

 

“I CAN tell them apart!” Laura huffed.

 

“They have the exact same face!”

 

“Real fans can tell.”

 

“Maybe.  Besides, vampires can’t eat garlic, anyway.  Too bad. No garlic, I guess.” Carmilla let out a fake dramatic sigh.

 

“Hey, we both know that is a myth.”

 

“Tell you what: I’m going to make mine the good way -- the right way -- and then you can sprinkle all the garlic powder into your own, personal bowl that you want.”

 

“Fiiiine.  I’ll just be over here enjoying my far superior Pad Thai, I guess.  What do you want to watch while we eat?”

 

“Want to watch ‘Meet Me in St. Louis’?  I know it’s your favorite.”

 

“I do love Judy Garland.”

 

“I know, creampuff.”

 

They sat on the floor of the livingroom with the tablet propped up on the table in front of them.  The bowls of Pad Thai lay empty and stacked, and the movie was nearly through. When Judy Garland began singing “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”, Laura lay her head on Carmilla’s shoulder.

 

“Do you want to go watch the stars?”

 

“Yes,” Carmilla replied.

 

They grabbed all the blankets they could and went outside on the porch.  There was a small bench just the right fit for the two of them, and they bundled themselves up as best they could.  The night was cold and crisp and clear. The stars were bright and the snow gently glistened in the moonlight.

 

“Pretty picturesque, huh?”  Laura said. She had her leg slung over Carmilla’s.

 

“A little more than Styria, yes.”

 

“Tell me about the stars,” Laura said.

 

Carmilla nuzzled into Laura’s hair.  “You already know about the stars.”

 

“I’ve never seen them like this.  Tell me again. Please?”

 

“Which ones do you want to know about?”

 

Laura dared to slip a hand from under their blanket pile to point to the brightest spot in the sky.  “Tell me about that one.”

 

“That’s Venus.  You can only see it during the winter months.  In ancient times they thought it was Lucifer being cast out of Heaven.  The Fallen Angel. Charlotte Brontë wrote a poem about Venus. ‘ The morning heaven expands its arch on high.  Cold and clear Lake Werna's water reflects that winter's sky.  The moon has set but Venus shines. A silent silvery star.’”

 

“I like it when you become a nerd,” Laura said.

 

“I like being one.”

 

“Tell me about that star,” Laura said, pointing to a different one, and Carmilla obliged.  

 

“Do you think we’ll ever get a constellation?”  Laura asked.

 

“You mean for us?  Carmilla and Laura?”

 

“Hollstein in the Sky.”

 

“What would it even be?”

 

“Hmm… a cat and a camera.”

 

“I think far more people would associate that with youtube videos.”

 

“That’s fine, they can just be wrong.  Just like those people thought Venus was Lucifer.  They’ll think the stars aren’t us. That’ll be okay.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Sure,” Laura replied.  “And who knows, maybe in a few years, we’ll have poets writing fancy stuff about how it was really us out there.”

 

Carmilla smiled.  “I like that, Laura.”

\---

 

“Carm…” Laura whispered.  “Carrrrrm…”

 

Carmilla groaned at being awoken.  She rolled over to face Laura and opened one eye.  “Hello, darling.”

 

“Carm, do you know what day it is?”

 

“It’s--”

 

“It’s Christmas!”  Laura peppered Carmilla’s face with kisses.  “Wake up! We’ve gotta see what Santa brought us.”

 

Carmilla closed her eyes and smiled, breathing in the smell of Laura before finally sitting upright.  “Good morning, Laura.”

 

“You already said that!  Come on!”

 

“You’re like an energetic puppy,” Carmilla said, with a smile.

 

“Yes, and you are like a sleepy cat.  We could make Disney lots of money.” Laura cupped Carmilla’s face.  “I’m going to kiss you now.”

 

“Kisses, please.”

 

Laura leaned in and kissed her, gently at first, but then deepened it.  Laura swung her leg over Carmilla’s lap so that she was straddling her, and pressed Carmilla back into the mattress.  Laura kissed her harder and with more passion, taking Carmilla’s lower lip and sucking on it before letting it go with a soft and wet ‘pop’.

 

“Carmilla, I made breakfast.  Eggs and toast. Well, I made eggs.  The toast is a little burnt. But the sooner we get up, eat, and exchange gifts, the sooner we can come back to bed and I can seduce you.”

 

“That’s quite a bargain, Buttercup.”

 

“You only call me Buttercup when you’re turned on, so it must have worked,” Laura smiled slyly before pressing one last long kiss on Carmilla’s lips.  “Come on.”

 

After breakfast, the two sat on the couch in the livingroom and exchanged presents.  Carmilla handed Laura her gift: a rectangle a little larger than the size of a book in delicately wrapped green paper.  Laura’s gift to Carmilla was about the same size, a little smaller, and in red paper.

 

“Do you want to go first, or me?” Carmilla asked.

 

“Let me open mine first,” Laura said.

 

“Excited, huh?” Carmilla teased.

 

“Yes.  But also, I just got you a really cool gift, and I don’t think you can beat me.  I wouldn’t want to embarrass you.” Laura pressed a kiss to Carmilla’s cheek..

 

“Thanks… sweetie…”

 

Laura slid her finger under the folded green corner and tore the paper.  When she tore the rest of it off, she saw that Carmilla had gotten her a script to the first episode of the 2005 revival of Doctor Who, and that it was signed by the two main actors in the show.

 

“Oh my--!  What! Is this real?!”  Laura held the script at arm’s length, as if inspecting it would make it turn into something not as neat.

 

“It is real.  The perks of having made 300 years worth of connections.  That’s not just a copy of the script, either. It’s an actual script they used on the actual set.”

 

“Carm, this is… this is… Thank you, thank you, thank you!”  Laura pounced on Carmilla and kissed her. Her tongue quickly darted into Carmilla’s lips, and Carmilla moaned.  Laura repositioned them so that she was laying on top of Carmilla, with her left leg in between Carmilla’s and her thigh pressing against her center.  In pajama bottoms, it was easy contact. Laura gently rocked against Carmilla hips, and she felt Carmilla quiver in response.

 

Laura’s left hand was tangled in Carmilla’s hair, but her right hand quickly began running down and across Carmilla’s chest.  Laura felt Carmilla’s nipple’s through her shirt, and Laura smiled into the kiss. Laura grasped at the top of Carmilla’s shirt before reaching down and sliding her hand underneath the fabric.  Laura’s hand was cool against Carmilla’s warm stomach. Carmilla wrapped her legs around Laura’s, and her fingers clutched Laura’s shoulder blades.

 

Laura pressed hard into Carmilla’s hips, and Carmilla let out a deep moan.  This seemed to snap Laura out of lust for long enough to sit up and say, “Wait, wait, Carm, wait.  I want you to open my present to you first.”

 

Carmilla’s pupils were blown open and her voice was desperate, “What?  Why? Are you sure? I just want you near me.”

 

Laura smiled softly.  “Open my present first.  Please? Then we’ll do  _ all _ the seducing.”

 

“ _ All _ the seducing?”

 

“ _ All _ the seducing.”

 

“Okay,”  Carmilla said, trying to shake herself out of the haze.

 

“I’m not leaving you too hot and bothered, am I?”  Laura teased.

 

“No, I’m wet and pissed off, though,” Carmilla replied, and Laura laughed.

 

Carmilla took the red wrapped gift in her hands, and with all care, gently opened it, not tearing the paper once.  Inside was a copy of The Jungle Book, with a bookmark folded in its pages.

 

“Laura, I--”

 

“Open it,” Laura cut her off.

 

Carmilla opened it to the page marked.  Laura had cut a small square hole in the pages of the middle half the book, and inside had placed a ring.

 

“Laura, is this…” Carmilla’s hands were shaking.  It was a golden band with a small diamond, but it was unmistakable.

 

Laura quietly took the book from Carmilla’s hands, laid it on the couch between them, and took the ring out of the book.

 

“Black as the pit, and terrible as the night, “ Laura said.  “And mine. If you’d have me, Carmilla.”

 

Carmilla was overwhelmed, and tears welled up and began falling down.  “Are you asking me to marry you, Laura?”

 

“Of course I am, you silly vampire.”

 

“Then of course I’m saying yes,” Carmilla replied, the tears coming even harder.  She stuck out her hand, and Laura slid the ring on Carmilla’s finger.

 

Carmilla looked at her hand, in awe, for a good 20 seconds before saying, “We need to go to bedroom, please.”

 

“I told you I would seduce you.”

 

Carmilla laughed and cried and followed Laura down the hallway and into forever.


End file.
